Forza Horizon 4 Review

"Gorgeous Britain"

Campaign

Forza Horizon 4 is the latest entry in the massive spin-off open world racing series that now sends drivers to Britain. This is a very different take on the series however being the experience you know and love, but dialing it up a notch with the introduction of seasons. This really is that next step to improve the formula and go further than ever before. After the third Horizon entry I wasn't expecting them to top it. I can happily say this is a big leap forward and one incredible thrill ride. I spent countless hours just sitting there enjoying the visually stunning world, to then feel the exhilarating thrill of hopping into a race.
Every little aspect of your journey is tracked and now you expand your available racing options by working through each separate experience. It's hard to explain, but if you essentially play a lot of rally type events you'll unlock more in that field. It works the same for speed areas or of course the awesome danger zones! On top of that, the entire experience is based around a shared multiplayer world. This is definitely the next step and the original vision for the Drivatars. Instead of AI Ghosts being around, it's real ghost people driving and it's neat.

You can interact with one another at any time with simple hot key text commands or just race together during massive Forzathon events. These happen all the time and you just drive there to meet up with everyone else in that area to do it. With this being multiplayer focused the seasons change weekly and offer fresh events all the time. You initially start in a more closed off world to experience each season and then move into this shared universe. They've went back to some cutscene type areas which are minimal, yet help display a sense of narrative. You're able to buy houses instead of opening new festival spots which is great and it's truly hard to cover the remarkable quantity of things you can do.

Gameplay

Forza Horizon 4 is one gorgeous game, it's beautiful. No matter what season you're jumping into it looks amazing. You can cut the fluffy snow with your tires, wipe rain off your window during the spring or just cruise along in the warm summers. The seasons really are a game changer here and hopefully it becomes a standard moving forward. The Horizon Life hub is great and everything is connected as one seamless experience. Forza Horizon 4 is Xbox One X enhanced with two visual options. The first is a native 4k 30fps with HDR and the second is 1080p 60fps. I prefer the former as the resolution is unbelievable at times. It is however great that a choice is given.

The clouds in the sky are amazing as is every little texture, it's like real life. The trees all finally sway in the wind or rain, you can break most items in the environment now and the animals are fun. The radio stations are great, feeling more natural in terms of the announcers. There are tons of barn finds, events and of course signs to knock down. Every car now has a skill tree to work through, there are super wheel spins to collect and regular ones too though the former gives much more. You can customize your character with hundreds of clothing items and to match there are hundreds of cars. The new tire system feels awesome and it does matter what car you bring into each situation. The multiplayer options are expansive, it's easy to play with randoms or friends and it's seamless.

The Conclusion

Forza Horizon 4 is the most impressive entry in the franchise and simply the best racing game ever released. I would have never thought the natural landscapes of Britain could beat Australia, but I was clearly wrong. This is better in so many ways and pushes visuals further than ever before. The seasons keep it fresh and the online integration is incredible, this is their initial vision for the series realized.

The racing feels great and there's something here for every type of fan. Face off in crazy showcase events including a Halo one, race for hours in so many unique series or just drive around. It's a seamless multiplayer time, but you can play alone if you'd like to. There's just too much to do quite honestly and there's always something fresh with the inclusion of seasons. Its one impressive package that's purely fun.